The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine continues to weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of our people at Beamery. While there’s always more we can be doing, we’re proud to look back at the last few months and see how we’ve been able to support those in need.
Do the right thing
One of our early actions was to commit $100,000 to be shared equally across selected charities.
We knew we could only make a positive impact together, and encouraged our BeamTeam to share where they were spending their monthly Ben card allowance, with some even reaching out to colleagues in mainland Europe to facilitate support.
We wanted to live by our values, and made a commitment to additionally match personal donations from our Beam Team. It is a drop in the ocean, but we are proud to have donated a total of over $115,000.
We chose four organizations based on their alignment to our values and mission. They are helping the most vulnerable from Ukraine gain access to the resources they need to build their future.
Listen and learn
Our team last month gathered to hear from these four organizations and see first hand how our money is being used in their efforts. It was particularly pertinent during a month where we focused on Pride, and our value of “make a positive impact, together”.
We heard from
Airbnb.org: Katherine Woo, Executive Director
Concordia: Bernhard Drumel, CEO
OutRight Action International: Amie Bishop, Senior Research Advisor
Global2000: Juliana Matusova, Project Manager
Whether it was offering short-term housing, providing medical and psychological support, baking 15,000 pies to provide at customs, or ensuring an already vulnerable LGBT+ community could access safe shelters and border crossings, there was one common strand to what these organizations spoke about: a commitment to the long-term support of communities in Ukraine. The situation is not black or white, and needs will shift, but working together as an ecosystem of support, and always acting with kindness, is how we can have a positive impact for those who need it most.
Find ways to give back
Money will only take us so far. As a company built upon creating equal access to meaningful work, skills and careers, we wanted to be intentional about how we gave back as a company.
That’s why…
- We launched a fast-track application scheme to recruit and relocate future Beam Team colleagues from Ukraine.
- We donated laptops and supported translation for Ukrainian families being housed in Northern France, so parents and children could still have access to education and the internet after fleeing their homes. We were fortunate to hear directly from our VP of Engineering, Paval Kilovatiy, and Board member Mary Meaney as they shared the work they’ve been doing on the ground.
- Through our sponsorship of the Athena Hackathon challenge (for women and non-binary techies), we challenged teams to build something to help support, provide access to work and opportunities for refugees. We had some amazing pitches and new ideas on how tech can help support these families. The winners, a team called Druh! (which means friends in Ukrainian), built an app for refugees that helped them connect with other families in their new home country, so their kids can have familiar faces and people around them.
Our approach is focussed on a long-term commitment to helping people rebuild their lives.
Our work is not over, but together as one team, we can hold our heads high and be proud of the support we have given, and continue to give.
